25th Little League International Congress Convenes in Lexington, KY

25th Little League International Congress Convenes in Lexington, KY

Follow the Congress on Facebook

By Communications Division
LEXINGTON, Ky.
March 12, 2010

The 25th Little League International Congress is being held in Lexington, Ky., at the Lexington Convention Center. Nearly 500 delegates (District Administrators or their designees), plus about a thousand Assistant District Administrators, are attending. Little League International covers most of the travel expenses for the delegates, who hail from 30 countries.

The triennial, four-day event is making its first trip to the bluegrass state, and marks the first time in 35 years (1975, Chicago) that a state in the U.S. Central Region has hosted a Congress.

You can follow all the events of the Little League International Congress on Facebook, as Little League volunteers from around the world gather to decide the course of the program for the next three years.

Become a fan today, and stay up-to-date! Photos, videos, and results of the voting will be posted at the Facebook page as they become available.

Among the happenings on the docket will be discussions and decisions made regarding 19 proposed rules and regulations-related items. The voting delegates will review the description in its current form and decide prior to voting what the final language will be. Once the agenda items have been voted on by the delegates, the Little League International Board of Directors will ratify the results and decide what the method will be for implementation of the changes.

George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, will be among those honored at the Congress. The former President will be presented the Peter O’Malley Distinguished Little League Ambassador Award on Monday during the Chairman’s Banquet, Congress’s closing event. President Bush, who played Little League in Midland, Texas, is the first Little League graduate to be elected President of the United States.

John Saunders, host of ESPN’s “Sports Reporters,” will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the Chairman’s Banquet.

Congress attendees also will be participating in a series of training and educational seminars as well as events that recognize various Little League volunteers and supporters of the program. Aside for the various regional meetings taking place on Saturday, the District Volunteer Recognition Luncheon will highlight the efforts of several volunteers on behalf of the Little League program.

During the various training sessions on Sunday and Monday, renowned sports medicine physicians, Dr. James Andrews and Dr. Glenn Fleisig from the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) in Birmingham, Ala., will present a program on overuse injuries to children entitled: “The Science Behind Youth Pitching Rules and Injury Prevention.”

Dr. Andrews and Dr. Burnett are members of the Little League International Board of Directors.

Also at the Congress, a Little League volunteer from the Southwestern, Central and Latin American Regions will be nominated by their peers for three seats on the Little League International Board of Directors. Nomination of these field representative directors will be made during regional meetings on Saturday and approved at the Board’s annual meeting in November.

Throughout the extended weekend event, Little League International and Regional staff will be available to meet with district administrators and other district staff in attendance, as will representatives for several of Little League’s corporate partners and licensees. The sponsor area will be open Friday and Saturday, giving attendees an opportunity to see the latest in Little League-related products and discuss marketing opportunities relevant to the leagues in their districts.